


Oil Painted Skies

by charons_boat



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Accidental Mating, Fairies, Fairy prince - Freeform, Framing, Full Moon, Insensitive Comments, M/M, Mates, Oh also, Strangers to Lovers, Werewolves, and now it does haha, cast out werewolf, exiled werewolf, feels weird tagging that oof, hair shaming, the cover had no story to go with, uh this was written for a cover i made a while ago, vignette?, weird rainbow hair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:41:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22027240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charons_boat/pseuds/charons_boat
Summary: He didn't realize how easy it was to fall in love.
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Oh Sehun
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	Oil Painted Skies

**Author's Note:**

> By the way there's mentions of nudity and also I slander Starbucks so.

The first time I saw him, I swore he was insane. There was no way, after all, that someone had really bleached such nice hair only to dye it in such a terrible amalgamation of color. It looked like someone had spilled a rainbow over his head, and then he decided he liked it, and _then decided_ everyone else needed to see it too. How could he walk around so shamelessly with that abomination out in plain view like that?!

I was working in the cafe. Just doing my job, as any other sane person was or would be doing, and he just… _walked in_ like nothing was wrong. I stared in shock at the mess on his head, taking orders and money automatically. I'd had the job long enough that I could've done it in my sleep.

To make things worse, he ordered a pumpkin spice latte, _like we were some kind of Starbucks!_ No one even likes those, we don't even sell them, and yet he walked in like he owned the place, stared at me with his face completely devoid of emotion and said it like it was something we would, had, and did consider offering. I sighed.

"Sir, we don't offer that beverage here. Kindly pick something else or go to an actual Starbucks, please and thank you," I said, making sure to use my customer service voice. I had to struggle to look at his face and not his hair as I responded. The smallest smile I'd _ever_ seen fell upon his lips. Like a piano falling from the sky. Completely unexpected.

"Oh, yeah I know that. Just, well, I saw you judging my hair from all the way back there and, ah, to be honest…" he trailed off, leaning over the counter to be closer, even as I backed away. He bit his lip, and then let it fall from between his teeth again. "I don't really think it's fair of you to judge my cosmetic decisions, at least, not when yours are so…" here, he let his eyes drag slowly over my body, from my head to my shoes and then back. "...so stuffy. I mean, who even has their hair that short? Might as well just shave the last quarter inch and wear a wig." He squinted at my name tag. " _Kyungsoo_." Then he left, a small breeze kicking up as he turned dramatically.  
•  
The second time I saw him, I swore I was hallucinating. There was no way he was walking around the forest on a full moon without fear of werewolf attack. Not that I'd want to hurt anyone, but others weren't so nice. I stalked up behind him, yipping softly at him, and he jumped so hard the flower crown fell right off his head. He stooped to pick it up and turned to stare at me. He burst out laughing, and I scowled at him.

"Oh- oh my god, coffee guy?! I can't believe you're- and you let yourself- oh my god, why would you do this to yourself," he cackled. I glared at him more. He was doubled over in laughter. At some point, he planted one of his pretentious hands right in my short fur and used it to support himself as he straightened back up again. He glanced at me and covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing again. Thoroughly annoyed and no longer caring whether or not he got eaten, I shouldered past him -an easy thing to do because I was a few feet taller than him and much stronger- and started stalking away. He started panicking and ran after me. I laughed shortly at how hard he had to try to catch up on his human legs.

"Wait, wait, sorry, I forgot how sensitive you guys are about your, uh- fur? Hair? I don't know what you guys call it. But, uhm, I shouldn't have- I should've been kinder. I was just, uh, kinda angry about how you looked at my hair. I mean, it's not a decision like yours, dye won't take in it and besides that'd be a disgrace among the court anyways," he muttered, kicking a rock. "Imagine it, _Prince Sehun goes goth, dyes beautiful hair black. Therapy being discussed…_ Hate being a fairy." I stared at him in shock, just stopped moving. He kept walking for a few steps before realizing I'd paused.

"Oh, right. You didn't know, huh? I mean, you aren't around any others of your kind right now and you didn't smell like wolf at all in the shop… you must be pretty- disconnected from it all, huh," he asked. I looked away from him. "You were… exiled, weren't you?" I nodded, full of shame. "And that's why your hair is… I'm really sorry. But, you can't exactly talk right now, so that will have to wait until later. Uh, anyways, I'm Oh Sehun, second Prince of the Zephyr Court. And, uh, I bet you've probably noticed but, well, I'm kind of a shit prince. I mean, I'm not well spoken, I don't like my hair, I'm rude and annoying… not to mention that I can't even keep my crown on my head. I'll probably get in trouble for that when I go back home..." There was a pause, in which the sounds of the nightlife made themselves heard again. He smiled and clapped his hands together. "That's enough of the pity party! I've got, uh, wind stuff to do, and you probably have things to do as well. So, uh, bye, Kyungsoo!" With a rush of air, leaves flew towards him, making a dry, rattling music, and then they settled again, a good ten yards from their original places, he was gone.

I wearily lowered myself to the ground, trying not to think of the events that had led to my exiling. I rested my head on my forelegs, miffed by the too short fur on them, and groaned. I hated that my pack had followed tradition.  
•  
The third time I saw him, I swore it was accidental. I was just wandering the forest, trying to find a pond I'd once discovered. I just happened to _accidentally_ hear humming, and I got curious. I didn't mean to stumble into his bath, or… whatever it was! For all I knew, he just liked swimming naked. I yelped and scrambled backwards, covering my eyes.

"S-sorry, sorry I'll- I- this- mistake, accident, di-didn't mean to, uh- you can just, keep- continue, I can- will- leave, now," I stuttered out. I backed towards the treeline, trying hard to keep from stumbling and from seeing anything more. The image of his bare back was burned into my eyes, and I wished it would just- _not_. His laugh rang throughout the clearing and I actually did trip. When I did, my arms flailed out and my eyes opened wide, and would you look at that, he's still naked. Laughing at me, mostly doubled over, quickly stopping and become concerned when he saw me falling, and _why was he running towards me while he's still naked why is he like this?_ I quickly jammed my eyes shut again, deciding it was better to just lay on the ground.

"Kyungsoo," Sehun said. He was right over me from what I could hear. I shook my head and pressed my lips together. "Kyungsoo. Open your eyes."

"N-no," I muttered. I could hear the frown in his voice.

"Kyungsoo, so help if you don't look me in the eye right now, I'll blow you all the way to America," he said. I opened my eyes. America was a terrible, wild place, a lot worse for werewolves than Korea. If there was a slight chance for a fairy prince to be eaten on a full moon night in Korea, there was no doubt about it in America. His brows were furrowed and his eyes shimmered with iridescent dust. "How in the world were you ever an alpha." The disbelief in his voice made me curl in on myself, blushing bright red as I turned on my side and was, _again_ , reminded that he was, indeed, still naked. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry, I- god, I'm terrible at this, how do I even have friends, uh-"

"…clothes…"

"What," he asked.

"Could you put some clothes on? I- it's really hard to concentrate on apologizing more when I'm also trying not to look at you because I'm a decent person and I have respect for basic boundaries," I muttered. He glanced down and blushed even brighter than me.

"Oh my- I-I'm so sorry, I didn't even realize, I just- you tripped, and I got worried, and-" I pulled at my own shirt with my hand. "Right, yes. Clothes." Before I could even blink, he was dressed. I stayed curled up on the ground, still upset at the fresh memory of my exile. 

"How… how'd you know," I asked quietly, staring off into the trees on the other side of the pond. He shuffled his feet awkwardly and held his hands in front of him, nervously clutched in each other.

"I- I got curious, and I did the barest minimum of digging. All I found was your name, previous pack, and station. Don't know what happened or how you ended up here," he explained. I sighed, shifting my gaze to the dirt beneath my cheek.

"You wanna know, don't you," I asked. I felt so small and vulnerable. I hadn't felt like this in a long time, not since I was first infected with the disease called lycanthropy at age fifteen. He nodded, guilty. I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "Maybe… maybe soon. Not- not right now though. I can't right now. It still… it hurts too much." He nodded. I contemplated for a moment before sitting up. "Can you… are you good with the- the healing stuff?" He looked at me inquisitively and nodded twice. I chewed on my lip and held out my hands. "If you… if you heal my hands, I'll tell you how I got here. That's easier. It's not actually involved with the part that hurts, so…" He didn't question further, just pressed featherlight touches into the scrapes on my palms as I told him about moonlit hitchhiking and full moon runs spent alone for the first time in my life. I'd been terrified at the time, still was a little. Being alone on a full moon was so different from being with a pack.  
•  
The fourth time, I swore it was, on his part at least, on purpose. After all, he came to my house.

I was just sleeping on the couch, having passed out at some point in the night with the TV running. I had the day off and no outside obligations. I'd been planning on sleeping the whole day, but the knock on my door accompanied by a familiar scent woke me up. I opened the door and stared at him, wondering what was different. When I realized that his hair was black, my eyes widened and I yanked him inside. I shut all my curtains and locked the doors. Then, I pushed him down onto the couch and paced before turning to him.

"What is wrong with you!? You'll get in so much trouble, this isn't even going to last, unless… you- no, don't tell me you-"

"Relax, Soo, I didn't renounce the court. Not yet, at least. I got help from a witch. The only thing that sticks in magic hair is magic hair dye. Can't believe I didn't think of it before," he exclaimed. I stopped moving and stared at him, unable to comprehend that fact that he was so willingly doing something that could get him in loads of trouble, especially as a Prince.

"Why would you-"

"I want my parents to denounce me themselves. I've decided I hate being Prince. I never even use my magic, my hair is a burning garbage heap -if there were unicorns in the pile, at least- and I want out. I hate the attention and scrutiny, and also-"

"Does your family matter so little to you?! How can you so easily cast them aside? I would give nearly anything to be able to be back with mine again! Do you- do they not… I don't- I don't think I can understand-"

"…also, they wouldn't approve of you. They wouldn't like anything about you, and that's ridiculous, because you're kind, if a little judgemental, and yeah, you broke some monumental wolf rule, but you're trustworthy and respectful and- I'd rather be around you than them. Any day," Sehun finished softly. His eyes had gone big and soft, and I felt my knees go weak at a rush of something through my body. _Oh… is this what being accepted by… is this how it feels?_ I couldn't keep myself standing, nor could I keep from crying. There was no way he understand what he'd done, what he'd been doing.

How would a fairy prince understand the concept of werewolf mates?

He immediately rushed to my side and knelt down. His hands fluttered all over, checking to see what was wrong. When he found nothing, he stared into my eyes, worry shining through in the black and silver specks now populating his irises. He pulled me into a tight hug when I started crying harder, and warmth spread throughout my body. I knew he'd be able to feel it. I was going to have to explain. I tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let me, so I figured that maybe first I could explain why I was forced to leave.

"S-sehun… I-I got exiled because they thought… they thought I killed my betrothed. I didn't, I would never have, but I was framed and everything pointed towards me. They didn't just kill me, no, I'd… I had always insisted we follow the old rules. So they did. They shave my head and forced me away with nothing but what I was wearing at the time. You already know how I got here," I said. He nodded. "It- it seems silly to say out loud now… to think that such a small thing has been hurting me so much. But, the fact that they wouldn't believe me… I was their alpha. They should have listened just a little. I can't help but think they wanted me gone. Maybe they all orchestrated it together, I-I don't know."

"Kyungsoo, I'm so sorry, I- I can't understand your pain well, because fairies see stuff like that within our own courts often, but… I really am sorry. You didn't deserve something like that.... Are you okay now," he asked. I nodded carefully.

"Yes. But, my exile isn't- it's not the only thing I need to explain. I need to actually be able to see you for this one, so… let me go, please," I asked quietly. He nodded and let go, scooting away a bit. "Sehun… how much do you know about… mates?" His eyes widened.

"Uh, well, it's usually a werewolf thing, right," he asked. I nodded. "And, mostly based off trust, though sometimes, uh, it's forced…" I nodded again, giving him a small smile. It encouraged him to continue. "Right… and, it doesn't have to be between opposite genders, though it's usually preferred?" I nodded and released a long breath.

"Right. You've, uh… got most of it. The- the general idea, at least. Sehun, there are different ways for a-a 'mate bond', as we call it, to form. That's just, it's just the bond between mates. Doesn't have to be like, a physical mark, or anything. That's a made-up requirement. Well, anyways, sometimes it's uh, a sexual thing when it happens. Sometimes it makes the two sad, or sometimes a bond is brought by…" I glanced at him. I was watching me intently. I swallowed. "Sometimes, if the wolf is- if there's enough affection and fear of rejection from the wolf… sometimes, all the wolf needs is some form of verbal acceptance." I blushed deeply. He seemed to catch on a few moments later and blushed himself.

"So-"

"I didn't really mean to, and I'm sorry that I got attached so quickly, and you'll probably get in a lot of trouble, but- yes. I… I formed a mate bond with you. That's why I fell. They're- mate bonds are strong things, y'know," I asked. I was silent for a second. "No, you probably don't. But, they are. Your emotions can affect mine, though I don't think mine will affect you so much because you aren't a werewolf. If I'm agitated, all I need to do to calm down is be around you. I-" I blushed, again. "Technically speaking, I could have kids for you. It's a werewolf thing, we- sometimes we're kinda like goldfish." He laughed at that, and joy surged through me at the brightness on his features. But then, I watched his face fall slowly under the weight of a realization.

"But… surely it's not all good, right," he asked quietly. I shook my head.

"No. It's… it's not. If you die, or leave, or… fall in love with someone else… if you m-mess around with someone else… I'll know. I'll feel it. And… I might die of heartbreak."  
•  
The fifth time I saw him -well, the fifth time I remembered to mention it- I was waking up next to him in my bed. His hair had long since left behind the magical black dye. It had also lost its magical rainbow of color. It had settled on a natural black, one that he could change as he pleased. All traces of magic were gone from his veins, had been for a long time.

As I kissed him awake, long and slow, the skies shifted with the colors of sunrise. Had I looked out the window, I might have compared the sight to the one of the paintings Sehun liked to do. Oil painted skies were his favorites to imitate.

**Author's Note:**

> [CuriousCat](https://curiouscat.me/catfacekathryn)  
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